Faith Nyasuguta
The scale of sexual violence committed in Sudan is “staggering,” a United Nations fact-finding mission reported this week, exposing a deeply disturbing reality in a war-torn country.
This investigative report reveals an overwhelming use of rape, sexual slavery, and brutal attacks on civilians, particularly against women and children, which are being systematically carried out by paramilitary groups. The UN mission condemned these acts as a calculated attempt to terrorize and punish communities, adding another dark chapter to Sudan’s unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
Conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The violence has since escalated into one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent history, with both sides accused of gross human rights abuses, including torture, forced displacement, and, on a shocking scale, sexual violence.
The report singles out the RSF as responsible for a large majority of these atrocities, describing acts of gang-rape, abduction, and sexual enslavement as common tactics. “The sheer scale of sexual violence we have documented in Sudan is staggering,” stated Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the UN fact-finding mission.
He stressed that the abuses are not random, but part of a deliberate campaign to terrorize communities, particularly those seen as opposing the RSF’s presence. Othman noted that sexual violence is being used as a tool to exert control, instill fear, and punish civilians perceived as adversaries.
The brutality is especially pronounced in Darfur, a region already scarred by past conflict. The report reveals harrowing stories of women and girls, aged from as young as eight to as old as 75, being subjected to brutal assaults. Witnesses recount seeing victims beaten, whipped, and raped in front of family members, magnifying the trauma for the victims and their communities.
In some cases, attackers used firearms, knives, and whips in the assaults, painting a horrifying picture of the violence endured by Sudanese civilians. The UN mission has even received credible accounts of sexual violence against men and boys, a chilling indication of the indiscriminate nature of these abuses.
Children have also become casualties of this conflict. The UN documented the abduction of young girls who are forced into sexual slavery by the RSF and its allies. In Sudan’s eastern al-Jazira state, the violence shows no signs of abating. United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk reported that in recent RSF attacks, at least 25 cases of sexual violence were recorded, including the death of an 11-year-old girl as a result of assault.
Turk highlighted the urgent need for accountability, emphasizing that bringing perpetrators to justice is essential to breaking the “horrendous cycle of violence.”
Both the SAF and the RSF are accused of war crimes, with the UN pointing to a pattern of large-scale human rights violations. However, the RSF is overwhelmingly responsible for sexual violence cases, according to the mission. The group has reportedly not only used sexual violence as a tactic but has also systematically recruited and used children in combat, engaged in widespread looting, and obstructed humanitarian aid, further intensifying the suffering of civilians.
Sudan’s ongoing conflict has triggered an exodus of displaced people, creating a humanitarian emergency of staggering proportions. The UN estimates that more than 25 million Sudanese are now facing severe food insecurity, with over 11 million displaced within Sudan itself. Among the displaced are vulnerable groups, including over 3 million people who have fled across the border into neighboring countries, seeking refuge.
Nearly a quarter of these displaced persons are children under five, according to recent data. Many have been forced to abandon their homes with little hope of return as the conflict persists.
Despite the dire situation, international support for Sudan remains desperately underfunded. UN migration agency chief Amy Pope described Sudan as “easily the most neglected crisis in the world today,” calling attention to the dire need for global assistance. Although the UN’s appeal for $168 million in emergency funding has only received a fraction of its goal, Pope emphasized that with adequate resources, there is still much that can be done to ease the suffering of Sudan’s displaced populations.
As Sudan’s civil conflict grinds on, the UN’s findings expose the immense toll of violence on the nation’s civilians. Beyond the immediate humanitarian needs, the widespread trauma inflicted by this war will undoubtedly have long-term effects on Sudanese society.
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